Soul Scientist

This Thursday – March 7 at 7pm CST is the start to the Evangelical Environmental Book Club for “Good Ground, Volume 2” – you can sign up for this on the EEN website – I’d LOVE for you (and your friends) to join me there!

Here’s part 3 of the excerpt from the book, “Nevertheless: Finding Hope in Suffering”, coming in early 2025 from Northeastern Baptist Press. I surely hope that you’re encouraged and find hope in the words our Good God has set for us in the Scripture contained in this excerpt!

Thinking back to the topic of environmental (mis)management choices, I’m reminded of an older principle that used to be considered true – dilution is the solution to pollution. In other words, out of sight is out of mind in something being a problem with contaminating the environment. This is the idea all that’s needed to “fix” something is to cover it over with something else. Of course, now we know that many times what we can’t see can hurt us as much (or more) than what we can in terms of environmental pollution (for example: certain microorganisms, radiation, or dissolved heavy metals).  I think the same idea holds with our words (or lack of them) in living in the hard days of pain, grief, or loss. We are expected to answer something like “thanks, I’m doing good” or “we’re fine”, no matter if all is well or we’re facedown in the dust in defeat by the onslaught of pain or grief. Granted, no one (except my doctor, counselor, or Jesus) needs to hear all the details of how hard things really are. But there’s a big difference between truth-telling and truth-omitting. For example, I’ve finally come up with an answer I can always give truthfully and mean it fully in response to the challenging question of “how are you?”. My answer is “I’m glad to be here.” For I am glad to be here with you, no matter how hard it was to get here or to stay here or how bad I’ll feel later from having come in the first place.

Cheap words can perpetuate the lie that as a Christian, I’m always supposed to be happy because Jesus will fix everything. Therein lies the phrase “suffering isn’t for saints” and other such lies. I sometimes think that fighting the lies can be the hardest part of suffering in trying to believe without seeing evidence of God at work. Or at least what I’m desperately hoping and praying God might do in this pain, grief, and loss that doesn’t ease. Yet Scripture tells us that those who believe without seeing are blessed (see John 20:29b). And when I believe the truth that I am blessed, joy does come and bring strength with it to keep believing truth (see Nehemiah 8:10).  

And joy’s strength helps me to remember even more truth such as this: Jesus has already conquered death, hell, and the grave and imputed righteousness and restoration upon Christ-followers (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). But this doesn’t negate the truth that Jesus suffered much in this “fixing” for us for eternity and gives us comfort in what isn’t fixed for us for today (see 2 Corinthians 1:5). Nor does it override the truth that this comfort isn’t just for us, but for others (see 2 Corinthians 1:6). With that in mind, how can I give another comfort in her pain if I don’t show her that I need comfort and that Christ provides it? If all she sees is shiny, happy, or “I’ve got this”, how can she know that my hope and peace in the hard and pain is from God? Likewise, how can I give another opportunity to know joy in giving help if I hide the truth of pain from him in a false love that has been deceived into believing that I must do all this on my own?

Here in suffering, we have opportunity to be set free by the truth or to be shut down by lies. We cannot rely on what sounds good or even makes us feel good. We must stand firm on what is good – Scripture and the knowledge that our Good God is always faithful and true to all of His promises and people, all of the time. His promises from His word written to and for us can bring hope even when the pain is deeper and the grief darker than we’d ever imagined we could know.

2 Corinthians 1:20 AMP For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are [all answered] “Yes.” So through Him we say our “Amen” to the glory of God.

Psalm 145:13 NIRV Your kingdom is a kingdom that will last forever. Your rule will continue for all time to come. The Lord will keep all his promises. He is faithful in everything he does.

written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2024.